


Grow Up

by Baileafy



Series: Think sweet things about love [4]
Category: GOT7, Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Fluff, M/M, cliff hanger, soft tenderness, they are siblings, this is backstory fic!, warlord au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:27:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28997496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baileafy/pseuds/Baileafy
Summary: Yugyeom only had his older brother, Jinyoung, to call family after their parents die. Until Jinyoung found a boy in the bushes and offered him a new home. Yugyeom finds that he likes having two brothers more than one.
Relationships: Kim Yugyeom & Bang Chan, Kim Yugyeom & Park Jinyoung, Park Jinyoung & Bang Chan
Series: Think sweet things about love [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2115318
Comments: 25
Kudos: 34





	Grow Up

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> This is a pre-series fic that is somewhat a squeal to Not By The Moon, and is linked to fic that inspired it!! 
> 
> it can be read alone, but I HIGHLY suggest checking out the inspired fic after or first, please it's so so good.

Yugyeom is 7 when he hears that his parents are dead.

He doesn’t process it really. His parents had been so distant as clan leaders that Jinyoung felt like more of a real parent. However, that wasn’t the same case for Jinyoung. The older had connected to their parents in a way Yugyeom never could. He took their loss hard. It weighed heavily on his shoulders as he took on the duty of the new head of the clan. When Jinyoung wasn’t out fulfilling responsibilities, he was in bed at night. Not asleep, Jinyoung rarely slept longer than a few hours. Yugyeom can hear Jinyoung read quietly to himself, the same way he can faintly remember their mother doing. He often hears sobs being muffled, but when he tries to check up on his brother, Jinyoung pretends nothing is wrong. It’s frustrating watching his brother carry his burdens by himself, and even worse having him pretend they weren’t there.

Jinyoung was 5 years older than him, yet acted like he was double that. By the time Jinyoung turned 14 he acted like he was 24, smiling politely at people who seemed to forget his age as well. Jinyoung stops sleeping in his room because Yugyeom would drag the older to his own instead. His brother would curl around him protectively, whispering apologies for being so busy, for not spending as much time with Yugyeom as he should. He tries to fight sleep off just to try and talk to Yugyeom, but exhaustion takes over each time. Yugyeom doesn’t know what else he can do other than grant Jinyoung a few hours of much-needed sleep whenever he can. 

Yugyeom is 10 when he sees his brother act his age, dancing hand in hand with another teenager he’s never seen before in the rain. Head threw back as he trips the other and runs off to get chased. Caught easily and only to be spun around clumsily, but Yugyeom hadn’t seen his brother so carefree in a long time. 

It didn’t last long.

About a month later a storm came and laid ruin to the woods. Lightning struck and a roaring fire broke out, consuming half of a nearby village. Jinyoung set out for the village as soon as he got word, Yugyeom sneaking into the back of his chart to join him. The villagers told them that they managed to survive, but there was an orphan that they couldn’t find once the storm cleared. They speculated he had run away from the fire to the opposite side of the woods, seeking shelter from the elements. Yugyeom watches as Jinyoung tenses hearing how old the boy was. 9, just a year younger than Yugyeom himself.

Jinyoung promises to send supplies, but instead of turning back, he heads off in the direction the boy had run off to. Yugyeom stumbles out of the chart and after his older brother, he barely manages to keep up behind him. And after what feels like an hour of following him through ashes and fallen trees, it could almost pass for early winter. Jinyoung stops and crouches down.

“Hey there, are you lost? You’re from Hellevator village, right?” Jinyoung asks softly, towards the bushes that Yugyeom can’t quite see into. “Don’t worry, the storm is over, the fire is gone.”

“... What if it comes back?” a voice meekly replies, coughs following right after. Their throat must be hurting from the smoke and ash.

Jinyoung smiled softly. “Your village will protect you.”

There was a heavy pause before the small voice replied so certainly: “No, it won’t.” 

His brother’s smile fades. Jinyoung closes his eyes before asking in a gentle voice, “What makes you say that?”

“They never did before… Why would they next time? They said I’m cursed.” Yugyeom feels his own heart clench painfully at that. Rarely did he feel unsafe, or unloved, Jinyoung never let a day go by without some sort of thoughtful reminder of how important he was to him. Some days they were quiet things, like when Jinyoung asks the cooks to make Yugyeom’s favourite dessert, despite hating sweet rolls himself. (Yugyeom has learned to not question his brother’s taste buds after seeing him bite into a whole lemon like an apple.) Other days they were loud, like when Jinyoung would bring him along to check up on crops and animals and wolves just because he knew how much Yugyeom loves those trips, even though Jinyoung might have more pressing matters he put on hold just for his brother to count sheep and pups. 

Jinyoung had a pained look in his eyes, pulling at the corners of his smile. Only Yugyeom can see his brother cracks in Jinyoung’s mask because he’s the only one who bothers to check for them. “ I believe there is a common saying that goes along the lines of  _ it takes a village to raise a child _ . And to my understanding, that would make that village family, and family protects each other no matter what. Is your village not your family?” 

Another heavy silence follows, and Yugyeom realizes how dead the forest is because he can’t even make out any beetles singing in the heat of the sun. He trails his finger in the ashes, drawing a wolf. His ankles are starting to ache from his crouched position. 

“No..” finally the meek voice answers. Yugyeom adds an extra bushy tail to the wolf.

Jinyoung reaches out his hand, a smile returns to his face, but more genuine. It crinkles the corners of his eyes in ways that will give him wrinkles when he’s an old man. 

“Would you like to join mine?”

Yugyeom’s head shoots up, and he stares as Jinyoung crosses his legs and sits down. He keeps smiling at the bushes. He thinks he might have misheard his brother. But as Jinyoung speaks, his face softens so tenderly.

“I have a little brother, just a year older than you, named Yugyeom. He’s been a trouble maker since he could walk. Once he let all of the horses out into the wild. It took three days to find them all. He’s probably the world’s messiest eater, sometimes food ends up on the walls. But he’s playful and sweet and has a way of brightening up a room. He’s my pride and joy. Everything I do is to make sure he’ll grow up happy and safe.”

Jinyoung closes his eyes, taking a slow breath. “Our parents died some years ago. So it’s just been the two of us. And I haven’t been there with him as much as I want to. I’m afraid he’s lonely. And you…”

His smile slips a bit, eyes pleading. “You’re alone. And no child should be. Cursed or not. You deserve to feel safe and loved.”

“My family isn’t perfect. But it’s full of love. And I know I would love to have you in it. And I know Yugyeom would love another brother. Will you come with me to meet him?” He holds out his hand again. 

After a beat, a child shakingly stumbles out of the bushes, tears streaking down chubby cheeks and big brown eyes. His hair is a mess and covered in ash and dirt and damp like the rest of him. He timidly takes Jinyoung’s clean hand, and barely nods when the older asks if a hug is okay. Yugyeom crashes into Jinyoung’s back. His brother makes a muffled grunt of surprise. The boy startles in the Jinyoung’s embrace, staring wide-eyed at Yugyeom.

“ What’s your name?!” Yugyeom shouts clinging onto his older brother, not a single thought going through his mind save for  _ I have a new brother. _

“C-Christopher.” The boy struggles, Jinyoung tries (and fails) to look at Yugyeom to give a disapproving look at his volume. 

“BOO! That’s a boring name for my brother. I’m giving you a new name!”

“Yugi!”

“N-new?”

“Ya! It’s gonna be a new start for you yeah? A fresh start? A chance for change and being happy and stuff! OH, How about Chance?” Yugyeom babbles with sparkling eyes, taking Christopher’s hands with his own. Jinyoung rolls his eyes, but it’s a fond gesture. “Yugyeom you can’t suggest he changes his name to a word.”

Christopher speaks up softly, his hands gripping Yugyeom’s, eyes shining with hope and unshed tears. “H-how about just shortening it to Chan?”

“Chan?” Yugyeom says, tapping his chin. “Chan. Chaaan. Channie. Chan. Cha-Cha-Chan. Yep, I like it.”

Jinyoung soothes the boy’s hair back, making him meet his eyes. “Do you want to go by Chan?

Chan nods, biting his lip nervously as if Jinyoung would say no. Instead of that, the boy gets a kiss pressed onto his dirty forehead.

“Chan it is. Now, how about we head home, I think someone is due for a bath before dinner.”

“Can we have sweet rolls because we got a new brother?!”

Jinyoung hums in thought, shifting chan to be carried in a piggyback ride. “Only if you eat all your vegetables and tell me the next time you decide to follow me when I'm leaving.”

“Deal!” Yugyeom crosses his fingers behind his back. He’d rather die than eat all the veggies his brother piles on his plate. 

* * *

Bath time was a disaster that frankly, Yugyeom felt Jinyoung should have seen coming.

Soapy water littered the floor in puddles that his older brother stepped around, lips pressed in a disapproving frown.

Chan was hiding behind the remains of the bathtub barrel they were supposed to be soaking in, eyes peeking over a plank of wood. Yugyeom stood out in the open, naked as all hell, cheering. 

“What did you do?”

“We blew it up!”

Jinyoung looked around and gave a very sarcastic: “I can see that Yugi.”

“Well, I didn’t blow it up, Chan did! Bang!”

“I think everyone heard the bang Chan made. So, why did you make the tub go bang?”

“...Bang chan…”

“... Yugi, no.”

Yugyeom turned to Chan, eyes sparkling as he repeated himself. “Bang Chan.”

Spirits save Jinyoung, the two already seemed to have a psychic link being formed as Chan also whispered back. “Bang Chan… I like it.”

Yugyeom grins at Jinyoung, the victory secured.

“I like it too. A lot.”

Jinyoung fixed them both a blank stare before he signs defeated.

“Bang Chan… it does have a nice sound to it. Now, Bang Chan, how about I dry your hair, and Yugi—” Jinyoung gave a pleasant fake smile. “—you have to clean this all up.”

“What?! Why me!”

“I could hear you egging Chan on from upstairs. Your idea, Your mess.” He smirked, bringing a towel to the youngest’s head. He peeked over Chan’s head to stick his tongue out at Yugyeom.

“Boo! You suck Jinyoung!”

* * *

The first night Chan doesn’t sleep. Granted, Neither does Yugyeom. They sit on the bed facing each other blanket over their heads, asking different questions. Mostly mundane until Chan asked Yugyeom if Jinyoung really is going to be King one day.

“I heard about it, but I never knew if it was true or not.” He whispers to his new brother, shifting closer to the cold doesn’t nip at his back from where it peaked out from under the sheet. Yugyeom folds his arms and furrows his brows at the question.

“He shouldn’t be.” He grumbles.

“What?!” Chan slaps his hand over his mouth, startled by his own shout, before whispering again. “Why?”

“He… he isn’t happy being important like this. He’s always busy and mad at being busy, and he has to act all grown up and fancy. I don’t think he’d be happy…” Yugyeom trails off, toying with his fingers in thought.

“You know what would make me happy?” Jinyoung’s voice came from the doorway, leaning on the frame with crossed arms. “You both going to sleep.”

The two young boys fight against the blanket to pop their heads out, looking up at Jinyoung with sheepish smiles.

“How about I stay with you for the night to make sure?” 

“BOO!” Yugyeom cries as he crawls to make space for his brother without a fight. The eldest settles in between them, pulling Yugyeom close to his side. He lifts his arm as an offer for their newest family member. Chan shyly moves a bit closer, but not nearly as snuggled up as his brother, who was half draped across Jinyoung’s chest. 

“Chan is there anything that helps you fall asleep?” Jinyoung asks, gently brushing the boy’s hair back. Chan pauses and licks his lips.

“B-back in the village, they would play music at dinner time… I’d usually fall asleep listening to it.”

Jinyoung hums thoughtfully, “So do you think a lullaby would help you?”

Chan brightened and Yugyeom couldn’t help but smile too. He didn’t know how his older brother would do at singing. He hasn’t heard him do it before.

The eldest settles back and hums softly before his voice gently sang to them both.

“ _ You fell down, it's alright, I'll pick you up. Did you worry a lot? _ ”

Yugyeom felt his eyelids grow heavy as he looked over to chan. His brother’s voice was more soothing than he thought it would be, pulling over him like a warm blanket on a cold night. As Jinyoung sang, Yugyeom reached over sluggishly across the blankets and took his new brother’s hand. 

He gave a soft squeeze.

He hoped that Chan would be by his side forever, just like Jinyoung. He hopes they can both watch Jinyoung’s eyes get wrinkles from all the real smiles he would give them as they grow up. He hopes Chan will love them just as much as they will love him. He hopes Chan understands that they will protect him from anything, nature or person. He hopes Chan will stay longer than his parents, so he can be able to picture his face clearly in his mind— instead of guess.

—“ _ You're doing well, oh, you're doing well, yeah.”— _

Chan squeezed back, eyes fluttering shut as Jinyoung continued to sing, brushing his fingers through their freshly washed hair.

Yugyeom desperately wants to stay trapped in his moment.

__

_ “ Have strength, just endure a little more, I'll be next to you. _ ”

His eyes close.

* * *

Yugyeom is 24 when he realizes that he is dead.

And now more than ever, does he desperately want to go back to that moment.

**Author's Note:**

> please comment I need the serotonin i wrote this all in one sitting based off a note on my phone written at 3 am.
> 
> i hope I hurted u cipher.


End file.
